Long Live the Sorcery — Brujos Brewing in Portland, Oregon
By Jeff Alworth
“Saturday, March 2, was a dismal day in Portland, Oregon. It drizzled on and off, only rising out of the 30s for a few hours in the afternoon. Yet, it was rocking in Northwest Wilson, an otherwise sleepy, industrial street hidden behind Highway 30. People spilled out of a nondescript warehouse building and huddled under tents that dotted the pavement. Up a flight of stairs, a blackened taproom squirmed with bodies. Grim reapers greeted guests entering what owner Sam Zermeño calls his “scorched church.” He was opening the doors to his new brewery, Brujos Brewing, and casual fans might have been surprised at the turnout.”
The Man, Now Myth — Searching for Tony Magee
By Alyssa Pereira
“By just about any standard, Tony Magee should be considered one of the most successful Americans to have ever worked in beer. The soon-to-be 64-year old entrepreneur started California's Lagunitas Brewing Company in 1993, grew its IPA-focused portfolio into one of the largest breweries in the country, and sold to Heineken—one of the largest brewing companies on Earth—in a two-part deal valued at a reported $1 billion. He has been a featured speaker at industry and private events all over the world and has long been cited for his prescient takes on a growing, maturing, and eventually challenged American craft category. He’s thought of as a “king” and “legend” of craft beer.”
TG-009 The One with the Pivot
If we’ve said it once, we’ve said it a thousand times—beverage companies are going to have to expand their offerings not just to grow, but to survive at all. In this episode of The Gist, lead Sightlines reporter Kate Bernot joins me, Beth Demmon, to take a big look at 2023 and what the numbers mean for 2024, why diversification is the word of the year, and what a brewery buying into CBD could signal to the rest of the industry. This is the Gist.
EP-401 Jen Blair of Under the Jenfluence
In this episode, Jen Blair, who recently became a Master Cicerone—the highest level of certification and a title just 28 people in the world hold today—shares details from her almost decade-long journey to reach this pinnacle. If you’re interested in becoming a Cicerone, this episode is for you. But even if you’re not planning to take these tests, you’ll learn so much about what it means to explore beer, its history, and all the sensory experiences it can provide.
EP-400 Julia Astrid Davis of Burke-Gilman Brewing
In this episode, we’re talking about process. And it’s not just in context of the brewing of beer, but everything that leads up to it, what happens during, and how a brewer can get better after. Helping us get into the detail of it all is Julia Astrid Davis, the head brewer and zygurmatrix at Burke-Gilman Brewing Company in Seattle.
Lost Dog — Lagunitas Tries to Find Itself After Leadership Turnover, Sales Slumps
Hits Different — Some Breweries Don’t Shy Away from Confronting Dry January This Year
Sticky Tentacles — Asahi Grabs First U.S. Manufacturing Plant with Acquisition of Contract Brewer Octopi
Next Germination
Underwriting Collection in Partnership with Guinness
Lady Lager On a Mission — How Alisa Bowens-Mercado Is Using Beer to Bring Economic Empowerment to the Black Community
Social Security — The Hospitality Businesses Offering New Opportunities for Former Prisoners
A Land of Rice and History — The Role of Tuak, the Traditional Fermented Rice Drink, in Sarawak, Malaysia
‘I See You’ — The Evolution of SoCal Cerveceros
Olly Olly
Underwriting Collection in Partnership with Oskar Blues
Our Wilder Selves — The Hunt for Sasquatch in Middle America
Unplugged Under the Stars — How Black Beer Organizations are Diversifying Camping
Ursa Major — Recalibrating for Risk in the Land of Grizzlies
Dead Castles — Exploring the Ruins of the Fortress That Abercrombie & Fitch Built
B-Roll No. 724 Emily Whitchurch
“Moving to London as a very overwhelmed 18-year-old for university, finding places of solace amidst the chaos was key. Three years later, nights spent at The Blues Kitchen remain a treasured part of my routine. Clutching a sticky bottle of Desperados, sweating and dancing with friends and strangers as live music swells from the small stage. Amy Winehouse, Aretha Franklin, Nina Simone — every Wednesday, I know I’ll hear the classics. Guitar twangs linger in the air, coalescing with jubilant saxophones and velvet vocals. Huddled around small tables overflowing with glassware, the crowd is encouraged to get up, let loose.”
Every year, we reflect on how lucky we are to chronicle the stories of folks making the beer world better. From incredible leadership to innovative ways of thinking, these are the people shaping the future of the industry—and we’re thrilled to share them with you. These are the 2023 Signifiers.
